At 60 mph, stopping distance can exceed which distance?

• A. One city block
• B. Two football fields
• C. Three car lengths
• D. A football field

Answer: (D)

Stopping distance is the total distance your vehicle travels from the moment you spot a hazard to the moment you stop, and it’s made up of two parts: the distance traveled while you react (perception and reaction) and the distance your brakes use to slow you down (braking distance). At 60 mph, your eyes and brain need time to react, which covers a sizable stretch—roughly a hundred feet or more depending on reaction time. Then the brakes have to work to bring you to a stop, adding several more hundreds of feet. Put together, the total stopping distance is about 300 feet, which is roughly the length of a football field. That’s why stopping distance at this speed can exceed a football field. Three car lengths are far shorter than 300 feet, and two football fields would be around 600 feet—longer than the typical stopping distance. A city block varies, but it isn’t a reliable benchmark for this speed, whereas a football field is a useful reference point for understanding how far you need to stop at 60 mph.